J.D. Power Global Automotive Blog

Satisfying Website Visits Lead to More Showroom Traffic in Canada

phillym — Fri, 18 May 2012 10:00:36 +0000

J.D. Ney

A majority (76%) of new-vehicle shoppers in Canada who indicate having a highly satisfying experience while visiting an auto manufacturer’s website (score of at least 976 on a 1,000-point scale) say they are much more likely to visit that brand’s showroom for a test drive, according to our 2012 Canadian . . . Continue Reading Satisfying Website Visits Lead to More Showroom Traffic in Canada

Dealers in India Offset Slowdown with More Diverse Revenue Sales Sources

phillym — Thu, 17 May 2012 19:11:31 +0000

Mohit Arora

Dealers in India expect to generate more than one-third (34%) of their revenue this year from sales of parts and accessories, auto insurance, and commissions on loans, which is an increase from 22% in 2011, based on analysis from our 2012 India Dealer Satisfaction with Automotive Manufacturers Index Study.

Finding new . . . Continue Reading Dealers in India Offset Slowdown with More Diverse Revenue Sales Sources

China’s Auto Exports: Small but Posting Strong Growth

phillym — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:00:46 +0000

Marvin Zhu

In 2011, China’s automakers shipped nearly 850,000 vehicles from different harbors in China to other world regions. Exports were up 50% from the previous year and contributed US $11 billion (69.55 billion RMB) to the country’s trade balance, which was an increase of 57% from 2010.

While most of the Chinese . . . Continue Reading China’s Auto Exports: Small but Posting Strong Growth

China’s Government Purchase Rules: A Sweet Deal for Domestics?

phillym — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:00:15 +0000

Jenny Gu

Earlier this year, China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) released its list of approved vehicles for government purchase. The list caused quite a stir because all 412 models included are from China’s domestic brands. International media have been critical of the list, and some have even said it violated . . . Continue Reading China’s Government Purchase Rules: A Sweet Deal for Domestics?

BMW and Hyundai Execs Discuss Possible Engine Tie-Up

phillym — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:00:33 +0000

David Sargent

Recently, Automotive News and German trade newsletter Automobil Produktion reported that German luxury automaker BMW and South Korea’s Hyundai Group are discussing a possible tie-up or alliance to develop and produce engines, where both automakers would share costs equally.

Of course, any engineering tie-up can be a smart move in principle . . . Continue Reading BMW and Hyundai Execs Discuss Possible Engine Tie-Up

Why India Automakers Should Pay Attention to the Beijing Auto Show

phillym — Wed, 09 May 2012 10:00:29 +0000

Mohit Arora

The curtain has fallen on a highly successful 2012 Beijing Auto Show, which was attended by senior executives from many of the world’s largest automakers. After some reflection, here are a few key takeaways that Indian automakers can collect from the Beijing Auto Show:

Go Local

International automakers made it loud and . . . Continue Reading Why India Automakers Should Pay Attention to the Beijing Auto Show

Retention is on the Rise, Yet More Shoppers Switch Insurers

phillym — Mon, 07 May 2012 16:28:59 +0000

Jeremy Bowler

Although only 25% of auto insurance customers say they shopped for a new insurer during the past 12 months, which is down 8 percentage points from 2011, some 43% of these shoppers switched auto insurance providers, according to our 2012 U.S. Insurance Shopping Study.

This year’s switching rate among shoppers, which . . . Continue Reading Retention is on the Rise, Yet More Shoppers Switch Insurers

April US Retail Growth Pace Rises at End of Month; Fleets Add Momentum

phillym — Fri, 04 May 2012 22:33:53 +0000

April was another month of growth for the U.S. auto industry in 2012. Strong end-of-month retail sales and higher fleet sales helped continue the trend of sales gains, based on data collected and analyzed by J.D. Power with LMC Automotive.*

Retail sales reached 908,685 units in April, which was 9.3%** higher than last April . . . Continue Reading April US Retail Growth Pace Rises at End of Month; Fleets Add Momentum

A Few Brands Set April Records Despite Fewer Selling Days

phillym — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:24:03 +0000

U.S. light-vehicle sales were anticipated to be challenging last month because Easter and Passover holidays fell in April this year, which meant there were three fewer selling days compared with April 2011.* However, in early reports from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive,** total deliveries were up 15% from the same month a year ago . . . Continue Reading A Few Brands Set April Records Despite Fewer Selling Days

Autonomous Driving Feature Garners Surprising Interest in J.D. Power Study

phillym — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:00:27 +0000

Mike VanNieuwkuyk

Although it’s still being developed and tested* and is one of the most expensive emerging technologies, Autonomous Driving—the mode where vehicles drive themselves— garnered a surprising level of interest among the 23 emerging technologies and features evaluated in this year’s 2012 US Emerging Technologies Study, which is based on responses from . . . Continue Reading Autonomous Driving Feature Garners Surprising Interest in J.D. Power Study